Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Global smartphone shipments grew 12% year over year in the second quarter of 2024, reaching approximately 288.9 million units, according to Canalys. It was the market’s third consecutive quarter of annual growth—but the figures indicate a recovery in shipment volume, not a uniformly healthy market or a return to previous peaks.
The rebound was strongest in mass-market and emerging-market segments, helping Xiaomi gain ground quickly. Samsung remained the largest vendor, while Apple held second place ahead of its usual autumn iPhone launch cycle.
What Canalys reported
Canalys’s Q2 2024 estimate covers April through June 2024. Its official release rounded the global total to 288 million units, while a more precise Canalys-derived table reported 288.9 million. The difference is simply a matter of rounding.
The estimated increase was approximately 11.9%, generally reported as 12% year over year. Because this was the third consecutive quarter of annual growth, the result suggests that the smartphone downturn had begun to stabilize before Q2 rather than ending suddenly in a single quarter.
#1 Best Overall
- YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
- MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
- NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
- BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
However, Canalys’s figures were preliminary estimates and subject to revision. They also describe sell-in shipments: devices shipped through distribution channels, including tier-one and tier-two channels, rather than necessarily smartphones activated or purchased by end users.
Vendor ranking in Q2 2024
| Vendor | Estimated shipments | Q2 2024 share | Q2 2023 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung | Approximately 53.5 million | 18% | 21% |
| Apple | Approximately 45.6 million | 16% | 17% |
| Xiaomi | Approximately 42.3 million | 15% | 13% |
| vivo | Approximately 25.9 million | 9% | 8% |
| Transsion | Approximately 25.5 million | 9% | 9% |
| Other vendors | Approximately 96.2 million | 33% | 33% |
Shares may not add perfectly in every presentation because of rounding. Vendor classifications also matter: Canalys includes OnePlus within OPPO, and Transsion represents a corporate group whose brands include Tecno, Infinix and itel.
Xiaomi was the biggest competitive winner
Xiaomi was the standout performer among the five largest vendors. Canalys estimated that its shipments increased 27% year over year, lifting its share from 13% to 15% and bringing it close to Apple’s 16% position.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Its performance reflects the importance of multiple price tiers, particularly in emerging markets where consumers were returning to the market after delaying upgrades. Xiaomi’s growth was not simply a low-price story: product promotions, a broad portfolio and expansion opportunities outside its strongest domestic markets all helped it capture renewed demand.
Samsung and Apple retained leadership, but lost share
Samsung
Samsung remained the world’s largest smartphone vendor by shipments, with an 18% share compared with 21% a year earlier. A vendor can ship more devices and retain first place while still losing share if competitors grow faster than the overall market or take a larger portion of the expansion.
Rank #2
- Blazing-fast Qualcomm performance. Get the speed you need for great entertainment with a Snapdragon 680 processor and 4GB**** of RAM.
- Fluid display + immersive stereo sound. Bring your entertainment to life with an ultrawide 6.5" 90Hz* HD+ display plus stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Res Audio**.
- 50MP*** Quad Pixel camera. Capture sharper, more vibrant photos day or night with 4x the light sensitivity.
- 64GB**** built-in storage. Get plenty of room for photos, movies, songs, and apps—and add up to 1TB more with a microSD card*****.
- Unbelievable battery life. Work and play nonstop with a long-lasting 5000mAh battery.*****
Canalys highlighted Samsung’s premium strategy, including Galaxy AI, the Galaxy S24 family and foldable devices. The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 were announced near the end of Q2, so their launch should not be treated as the main cause of the quarter’s shipment result. Their significance was primarily strategic: Samsung was using AI and foldables to defend its premium positioning.
Apple
Apple ranked second with a 16% share, down from 17% in Q2 2023. Q2 is also an important seasonal qualification: it comes before Apple’s principal annual iPhone launch period in the autumn. Apple’s second-place position in this quarter is therefore not a full-year forecast.
Canalys described Apple as building anticipation around upcoming product refreshes following its Worldwide Developers Conference announcements. That is different from saying a new iPhone launch drove Q2 shipments.
vivo and Transsion
vivo held 9% of the market, up from 8% a year earlier, with approximately 25.9 million estimated shipments. Transsion also held 9%, unchanged in Canalys’s rounded comparison, with approximately 25.5 million units.
Transsion’s position is particularly important to interpreting the recovery. Its brand portfolio is strongly associated with price-sensitive consumers and emerging markets, showing that the rebound was not limited to premium smartphones.
Rank #3
- Please note, this device does not support E-SIM; This 4G model is compatible with all GSM networks worldwide outside of the U.S. In the US, ONLY compatible with T-Mobile and their MVNO's (Metro and Standup). It will NOT work with other CDMA carriers, and it is also not compatible with their MVNO (Visible, Xfinity Mobile, US Mobile, Cricket Wireless, etc).
- Compatibility with certain third-party devices and accessibility accessories, including some hearing aids, may vary depending on manufacturer support, Bluetooth protocols, software compatibility, and regional firmware limitations. For additional hearing aid compatibility information, please refer to Samsung’s official support documentation.
- Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF | 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro). Battery: 5000 mAh, non-removable | A power adapter is NOT included.
Why the smartphone market recovered
Canalys attributed part of the improvement to easing inflation in emerging markets across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Lower inflationary pressure helped restore purchasing power and revive demand in mass-market price segments.
Canalys also pointed to product upgrades and promotions from vendors such as Xiaomi and Transsion, continued premium positioning by Samsung and Apple, and the industry’s growing emphasis on generative-AI features.
In practical terms, the quarter appears to have combined several forces:
- Delayed replacement demand: Some consumers who postponed upgrades during the 2022–2023 slowdown began replacing older phones.
- Improved channel conditions: Vendors and distributors were operating with less excess inventory than during the earlier downturn, making new shipments easier to absorb.
- Emerging-market volume: Renewed mass-market demand gave brands with strong regional distribution an advantage.
- Portfolio refreshes: Android vendors had products and promotions across a wide range of prices, while Apple was between major iPhone launch cycles.
- Premium differentiation: AI and foldable features gave leading vendors a way to justify premium devices, even though the available data does not quantify GenAI as a direct cause of shipment growth.
The inventory and replacement-cycle explanations are useful industry interpretations, but Canalys’s reported evidence directly supports the inflation, emerging-market, mass-market, promotion and strategic-technology points. GenAI should be viewed as a product and marketing focus—not as a separately measured driver of the 12% increase.
Why other research firms reported different numbers
Canalys was not the only tracker to identify growth, but its estimate was higher than the figures from two other major research firms:
Rank #4
- Please note, this device does not support E-SIM; This 4G model is compatible with all GSM networks worldwide outside of the U.S. In the US, ONLY compatible with T-Mobile and their MVNO's (Metro and Standup). It will NOT work with Verizon, Spectrum, AT&T, Total Wireless, other CDMA carriers, it is also not compatible with their MVNO (Visible, Xfinity Mobile, US Mobile, Cricket Wireless, etc).
- Compatibility with certain third-party devices and accessibility accessories, including some hearing aids, may vary depending on manufacturer support, Bluetooth protocols, software compatibility, and regional firmware limitations. For additional hearing aid compatibility information, please refer to Samsung’s official support documentation.
- 4G LTE Bands: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41
- Display: Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (HBM) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density)
- Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF | 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- Counterpoint Research estimated 289.1 million units, up 8% year over year.
- IDC estimated 285.4 million units, up 6.5% year over year.
These differences do not automatically mean that one firm was wrong. Market trackers can use different channel definitions, collection methods, vendor classifications, estimation models and revision schedules. Readers should not combine the totals into a single blended market figure. Instead, the consistent signal across the datasets is that global smartphone shipments grew in Q2 2024, while the precise size of that growth depends on methodology.
Shipment growth is not the same as consumer demand
The distinction between sell-in and sell-through is central. A manufacturer may ship phones to a distributor, and a distributor may ship them to a retailer, without the same number of devices being sold or activated immediately.
A shipment increase can reflect:
- Retailers and distributors rebuilding inventory;
- Inventory being positioned ahead of promotions or launches;
- Expected tariff or cost changes;
- Actual consumer purchases and activations.
Canalys’s estimate alone cannot show which proportion came from each factor. Nor does it reveal average selling prices, profit margins, carrier subsidies or vendor profitability. A market can grow in units while remaining difficult for manufacturers if competition forces prices or margins lower.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was this a healthy smartphone-market recovery?
Yes, in volume terms—but only with important qualifications. Three consecutive quarters of annual growth and Canalys’s double-digit estimate indicate that the market had moved beyond contraction. The broad participation of emerging-market and mass-market brands also suggests that the improvement was not confined to a small premium niche.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteBut the recovery was uneven. Samsung and Apple both lost share in Canalys’s table, while Xiaomi gained three percentage points relative to Q2 2023. The result therefore represents not only market expansion but also a shift in competitive power toward vendors with strong mid-range portfolios and emerging-market distribution.
Best Value
- GSM Unlocked: Enjoy seamless connectivity with your preferred GSM carrier. Compatible with T-Mobile, Metro PCS, AT&T, Cricket, Mint Mobile and other GSM networks. SIM card not included. For network compatibility, please check with your carrier. Note: Not compatible with CDMA networks like Verizon (Visible, Spectrum Mobile, US Mobile, Total Wireless, Straight Talk Wireless)
- Boundless Views: Enjoy immersive viewing on the spacious 6.5” HD+ display. Whether you're watching videos, browsing, or gaming, every detail comes through with stunning clarity.
- Smooth Performance, All Day: Powered by an efficient octa-core processor, the G35 ensures smooth performance for your everyday tasks. Enjoy faster app launches, seamless multitasking, and reliable speed.
- Snap, Share, Repeat: The G35 features a dual rear camera setup for sharp, detailed shots, and a front-facing camera that’s perfect for selfies and video calls. Capture every moment with ease and clarity.
- Effortless Access: Keep your phone secure with A.I. Face ID technology. Instantly unlock your G35 with just a glance. It's fast, easy, and secure.
It is more accurate to call the quarter a recovery, rebound or period of renewed growth than a boom. The data does not establish that the market had returned to its earlier peak, that all regions were growing at the same pace, or that consumer sell-through had increased by exactly 12%.
What to watch after Q2 2024
The quarter created several questions for the second half of 2024:
- Could mass-market demand continue after delayed upgrades were fulfilled?
- Could Xiaomi maintain its gains outside its strongest regions?
- Could Samsung turn AI and foldables into sustained volume rather than premium differentiation alone?
- Could Apple’s next iPhone cycle reverse its quarterly share decline?
- Would premiumization increase industry revenue without producing equivalent unit growth?
These are forward-looking questions, not outcomes established by the Q2 data. The clearest conclusion from the available estimates is narrower: the global smartphone market was recovering, but the recovery favored certain regions, price segments and vendors.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →How to read smartphone shipment headlines
- Check whether the figure measures sell-in shipments or consumer sell-through.
- Confirm whether the comparison is year over year or quarter over quarter.
- Look for a preliminary-estimate disclaimer.
- Separate market-share gains from absolute shipment growth.
- Check whether premium and entry-level segments moved in the same direction.
- Compare multiple trackers without merging their totals.
- Account for seasonal timing, particularly Apple’s pre-launch Q2 period.
For Q2 2024, those checks lead to a balanced reading: Canalys saw a 12% annual increase to approximately 288.9 million sell-in units, but the result was a milestone in stabilization rather than proof of a fully normalized smartphone industry.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
